People Who Keep Their Phone On ‘Do Not Disturb’ All Day Usually End Up Dealing With 3 Odd Side Effects, According To Research
Look Studio / Shutterstock Smartphones are designed to demand our attention. Every vibration and sound draws us back into the endless stream of messages, updates, and alerts, and it's no surprise that some people are fighting back by switching their phone to "do not disturb" and leaving it that way.
While this solution seems simple, research suggests that muting your notifications can change how your brain reacts to the device. When the alerts stop coming in, some start to notice strange psychological effects that they would've never anticipated.
Here are 3 odd side effects that people who keep their phone on 'do not disturb' all day end up dealing with:
1. Phantom notifications
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Even when people have "do not disturb" turned on, they may feel like their phone buzzed or dinged when it actually didn't. It's called phantom vibration syndrome, and it's considered a form of tactile hallucination.
Your brain is conditioned to learn a habit loop where you get a notification, check your phone, and receive a social reward or information. Over time, your brain becomes hypersensitive to signals related to your phone. When they're taken away with "do not disturb," your brain can sometimes predict these cues and fill them in.
In science, phantom vibration syndrome is seen as technology-related anxiety, and it has been linked to certain mental health disorders. One study about this phenomenon suggests "Higher smartphone use is often considered as a risk factor for developing anxiety, stress, and depression, indicating higher stress levels among such individuals leading to heightened sensitivity and predisposition to misinterpretation of sensory stimuli or imagined vibrations."
2. Checking your phone more often
It may seem counterintuitive, but sometimes having your phone on "do not disturb" constantly makes you tend to check it more than if you didn't have it on at all. This is because of a few psychological effects tied to how notifications influence our brains.
Normally, your notifications let you know what's going on, but when you don't have that immediate status update coming in, it can leave you wondering what you've missed. Rather than waiting for alerts, you may start manually checking your phone more often.
Multiple studies have confirmed this, citing fear of missing out (FOMO) and a need to belong as reasons why this occurs. In that case, you might actually end up being more productive if you just leave your notifications on.
3. Reduced time awareness
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You might not realize it, but notifications are tiny markers that tell our brains that time is moving. Whenever a message comes in or an email alert pops up, we note that something has happened, and it serves as an external marker of time. Without these little checkpoints, the day might seem to move more slowly.
You also begin to rely more on internal timekeeping. Our Circadian rhythm and attention span can affect our daily activities. Without regular interruptions, we may skip breaks, work long blocks, and let hours pass without noticing.
For some people, this can reduce a sense of time pressure. Without constant reminders of things happening, the mind can relax. Time may feel calmer, slower, and less rushed.
Kayla Asbach is a writer currently working on her bachelor's degree at the University of Central Florida. She covers relationships, psychology, self-help, pop culture, and human interest topics.
